Next gaming generation: The future of gaming

The future of the gaming industry is big. The global market is worth over $300 billion, and the current number of gamers in the world is reaching 3 billion¹. The industry draws on all the technological innovations that largely determine the direction of its development. Augmented reality, 5G, IoT, cloud gaming and maybe even Metaverse? What will be the game changers and what is the future of gaming technology? We will try to find answers to these and many other questions in the article.

Streaming and cloud gaming

The development of network infrastructure means that gamers no longer need to download games to their computer, but instead can play through streaming. Cloud gaming is definitely the future of the industry and will enable, among other things, the "democratisation of gaming". This is because gamers will no longer have to invest in expensive hardware, as they will be able to play from anywhere on any device.

One company that is developing cloud gaming technology is Sora Stream.

Is artificial intelligence the future of gaming?

Artificial intelligence is one of the fastest growing technologies. At the same time, it is impacting many other industries – for example, cybersecurity, as well as the gaming industry. In this case, artificial intelligence has two key functions – to improve the design of games and to improve the gameplay.

Artificial intelligence also makes it possible to significantly improve the graphic quality of games through so-called ray tracing. In the past, shadows or light reflections were "painted" onto objects in the game. This gives the illusion that light reacts as it does in the real world. AI makes it possible to automate the process, but on a completely different, much higher level. The technology is based on analysing light rays and how they reflect off the graphic elements. This allows the virtual image to look extremely realistic and games can achieve an almost cinematic quality of graphics. This technology has the potential to change games. Unfortunately, the industry is facing a chip shortage due to the popularity of cryptocurrency mining, which relies on the same hardware.

When it comes to the gameplay itself and its replayability – artificial intelligence allows the player to face more and more challenges. By learning the player's behaviour, the game can adapt itself to the player's level and skills.

Future of gaming: virtual reality and augmented reality

VR and AR are synonymous with gaming and have long gone hand in hand. Game developers have always tried to transport players into the virtual world of gaming. VR is predicted to be one of the fastest growing branches of gaming. This is influenced by the fact that there are more and more mainstream models of glasses and other VR accessories that are easy to install.

What about AR? A great example is the success of the Pokemon Go game, which speaks for itself. Niantic, the company responsible for producing the game, has not only earned around $3.1 billion from it since its release in 2016, but has also become a leading developer of augmented reality apps².

Metaverse

When talking about the future of the gaming industry, Metaverse cannot be overlooked. Players enter the virtual reality of the Metaverse, which allows them to experience gaming on a completely different level. The characters in Metaverse games are unique avatars, which are virtual representations of the players themselves. Players can then invite their social media friends to play, interact with them and collaborate. It would seem that all this is already familiar from other games. The difference, however, is that Metaverse uses AR and VR technologies at the same time, which allows for a completely different, realistic experience and sensations very close to those known from the real world.

The future of gaming: 5G

The 5G network is sure to be a game changer and will lead to even faster growth in the industry. Firstly, it will enable faster downloads of games, reduce lag, and improve the quality of online gaming.

In addition, 5G is one of the technologies that will directly influence the development of the aforementioned cloud gaming.

Speaking of 5G and the development of the gaming industry, it is impossible not to mention esports. It is one of the fastest growing gaming industries, both in terms of viewership and revenue. 5G will avoid latency, which will greatly facilitate gameplay, as well as increase the quality of live streaming for viewers.

^{1) https://earthweb.com/how-much-is-the-gaming-industry-worth}

^{2) https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/10/21060877/pokemon-go-record-revenue-2019-niantic-labs-ar-growth}